Hard-nosed yet ultimately endearing, Costas Haritos is a veteran junta-trained homicide detective on
the Athens police force. He is uncomfortably married, can't stand his daughter's boyfriend, and after
a day of constant gridlock and smog, tight-lipped witnesses, and the relentless crush of the media, he
relaxes by reading dictionaries.

When an Albanian husband and wife are found dead in their home, Inspector Haritos is called to what
to be an open-and-shut case. For the Greek police, two Albanians are hardly a matter of concern, and
after the primary suspect confesses under duress, the case is closed. But when the country's celebrity
TV news reporter, Janna Karayoryi, hints that there may be more to it, Haritos becomes unnerved. He
doesn't exactly like the ambitious young journalist, much less the ruthless way she has risen to the top;
but she could she be right in thinking the murder has something to do with babies? Before Haritos can
find out, Janna is silenced suddenly and chillingly, moments before she is to go on air with a startling
newsbreak. Did her mysterious report have something to do with the murdered Albanians? Who
wanted her out of the way and why? Caught between a bumbling junior officer and higher-ups all
too easily influenced by news executives who are determined to protect their own, Costas Haritos
sets out to get to the bottom of the matter-and ends up exploring a dark underworld of post-
dictatorship capitalism.

About the Author
Petros Markaris was born in Instanbul in 1937.
Having studied economics, he made his literary
debut in Greece in 1965 with a theatrical work,The Tale of Ali Retzo. This was followed by several
other plays and film scripts. Markaris recently published
a translation of Goethe's Faust to critical acclaim.